Wharfcreek
Near 50 Yrs of Experience
Sorry for the vague nature of the title, but perhaps after I explain the question further the title will make some sense.
I just purchased a 1980 XS650 what 'appears' to be an early 'Special' model. It's an electronic ignition bike, has the BS-34 carbs, ram-horn handle bars, 16" rear wheel, and other attributes of many of the Special models I've seen. However, that said, it also has some of what I've seen only on 'Standard' model bikes......and I'm a bit confused by this. First, and of less significance, is the fact that the side covers still have the 'tab mounts' on top....just like the Standard frame bikes. It almost looks like a Standard side cover might fit, but then the lower mount appears to be a 'push-in' mount like that of the later Specials. So, looks like only one type of side cover will fit this bike. But, the main issue is the seat!! This thing came to me with what I'd call an 'undesirable' (and that's putting it mildly.....more like 'fugly' in my book....but trying to be sensitive to the guys who still like this kind of thing.....) King-Queen seat with a built-in raised up seat back that extends up about 16" to 18". It had some kind of sissy bar associated with this seat........ and both are now PERMANENTLY removed!!! But, what I can't figure out is the mounting configuration of this seat. I ran into the fact that the early XS-1s and 2s had a hinged seat that had different spacing than my later Standard frame bikes. Not possible to swap seats between these bikes. All my 'standards' between 1975 and 1979 have the same 'hinged' seat.......and the seat pivots to the side on the hinges and latches on the left side of the bike. And, virtually every Special I've had used a seat mount that had locators in the front by the tank and drop-on latches in the rear. The seat simply lifted off the frame completely. However, this bike appears to have the 'standard' seat mount hinges on the right side of the frame....and the latch on the left side. But, when I attempted to put a spare seat that I had from one of my Standard bikes on to this bike, I discovered that this frame also has welded to it the same 'prop rail guide' that I recall from my old XS-1 and 2 bikes. On those bikes the seat had a little prop rod that slid along a rail on the frame and when the seat was opened to the left side it would go about to the 90 degree point and then the prop rod would stop it from going any further. That's missing on every 'standard' I've ever had.....but this '80 bike has the track welded to the frame of the bike. AND....the hinges fit the spacing of my 75-79 seat. I couldn't tip the seat down far enough to see if the latch lined up as that prop-rod track got in the way. But.....I want to go with a 'standard' seat on this thing....and I'm wondering if ANYONE knows about this '80 set-up and what to do about putting a conventional seat on the bike? Do I need to find an old '80 seat pan and use it.....or do I just chop off that prop-rod track and use my '79 seat.....or what? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. For the record, I'm a LONG way from being able to ride this bike. I only got it 2 days ago.......and it's got a LOT of electrical problems. Hopefully the ignitor box will be OK. Otherwise, I'll be looking for a new ignition system as well.
As always...thanks for the help!! Tom D.
I just purchased a 1980 XS650 what 'appears' to be an early 'Special' model. It's an electronic ignition bike, has the BS-34 carbs, ram-horn handle bars, 16" rear wheel, and other attributes of many of the Special models I've seen. However, that said, it also has some of what I've seen only on 'Standard' model bikes......and I'm a bit confused by this. First, and of less significance, is the fact that the side covers still have the 'tab mounts' on top....just like the Standard frame bikes. It almost looks like a Standard side cover might fit, but then the lower mount appears to be a 'push-in' mount like that of the later Specials. So, looks like only one type of side cover will fit this bike. But, the main issue is the seat!! This thing came to me with what I'd call an 'undesirable' (and that's putting it mildly.....more like 'fugly' in my book....but trying to be sensitive to the guys who still like this kind of thing.....) King-Queen seat with a built-in raised up seat back that extends up about 16" to 18". It had some kind of sissy bar associated with this seat........ and both are now PERMANENTLY removed!!! But, what I can't figure out is the mounting configuration of this seat. I ran into the fact that the early XS-1s and 2s had a hinged seat that had different spacing than my later Standard frame bikes. Not possible to swap seats between these bikes. All my 'standards' between 1975 and 1979 have the same 'hinged' seat.......and the seat pivots to the side on the hinges and latches on the left side of the bike. And, virtually every Special I've had used a seat mount that had locators in the front by the tank and drop-on latches in the rear. The seat simply lifted off the frame completely. However, this bike appears to have the 'standard' seat mount hinges on the right side of the frame....and the latch on the left side. But, when I attempted to put a spare seat that I had from one of my Standard bikes on to this bike, I discovered that this frame also has welded to it the same 'prop rail guide' that I recall from my old XS-1 and 2 bikes. On those bikes the seat had a little prop rod that slid along a rail on the frame and when the seat was opened to the left side it would go about to the 90 degree point and then the prop rod would stop it from going any further. That's missing on every 'standard' I've ever had.....but this '80 bike has the track welded to the frame of the bike. AND....the hinges fit the spacing of my 75-79 seat. I couldn't tip the seat down far enough to see if the latch lined up as that prop-rod track got in the way. But.....I want to go with a 'standard' seat on this thing....and I'm wondering if ANYONE knows about this '80 set-up and what to do about putting a conventional seat on the bike? Do I need to find an old '80 seat pan and use it.....or do I just chop off that prop-rod track and use my '79 seat.....or what? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. For the record, I'm a LONG way from being able to ride this bike. I only got it 2 days ago.......and it's got a LOT of electrical problems. Hopefully the ignitor box will be OK. Otherwise, I'll be looking for a new ignition system as well.
As always...thanks for the help!! Tom D.